Teach & Serve IV, No. 19

Land the Plane

December 12, 2018

There are times we are so in the middle of things, in the moment and in the midst, that we forget that we have to wrap things up, we forget to find a stopping point, we forget to land the plane.

We are coming in for a landing. It is just about time to put the tray tables in their upright and locked positions and to settle in for the remainder of the flight. It’s mid-December and our Christmas Breaks approach. For some of us, that means semester exams are in the offing. For some, it means we will not see our colleagues or students for a few weeks. For some it means a break in the midst of a trimester.

For all of us, it means we ought to consider how to mark the moment.

A friend of mine with whom I participated in a program of leadership training introduced me to the concept of “landing the plane.” I am not sure she originated it, but it is a compelling concept. There are times we are so in the middle of things, in moment and in the midst, that we forget that we have to wrap things up, we forget to find a stopping point, we forget to land the plane.

Surely, at this time of year, landing the plane – giving our staffs and students a definite line of demarcation between what we are doing and what we will do – is important. It is not particularly healthy to expect people to dangle in a state of pending-ness over the course of the next few weeks in some kind of suspended animation waiting for the other shoe to drop. In order to reduce stress and to provide a real break for our colleagues and kids, we ought to provide a clear stopping point so that, when we return, we can provide an obvious starting point.

My friend, however, also used this term to encourage me (or others around her) to get to the point, to find the end, to be succinct. She shared this phrase with appropriate razor-sharp intonation and intention. Get to it, she might say. Tie it off. Wrap it up.

Land the plane.

I like it.

As a person with a preference for extraversion, I often find myself talking to think. I typically start vocalizing before I know my conclusion and I have been known to keep chattering for quite a while. This is not a bad thing, per se, but it is a trait that can be trying for others, especially those who just want the conclusion, not everything leading up to it.

Landing the plane is an important concept for where we find ourselves in the calendar right now, yes, but also for us to be effective communicators.

It is my intention to share some reflections on the highs, the lows, the excitement, the routine, the successes, the failures and everything in between which I experience the course of the next 10 – 12 months, my first months as a full-time principal of a high school. Writing this journal will help me grow. Reading it may make you laugh…

06 | December | 2018

“We should write a book…”

Over the course of the last six months (and it has been just over six months since I began my tenure as principal of Mullen High School), I have said the above words to colleagues or have had them said to me by colleagues on multiple occasions. We share this sentiment when something has happened that was unpredictable, unexpected or simply bizarre.

You might be surprised at the frequency with which this phrase is repeated. It seems that once a week – if not once a day – something strange or out of the ordinary happens, something goes down that is so far out of left field it beggars description.

While I cannot say I look forward to their occurrence, I have embraced these phenomena. Why? I have embraced them because they are symbolic of something I have found true about this half year behind the principal’s desk: one cannot be fully prepared for everything with which one will deal.

There is simply no way.

On any given day, I may (and do!) have a plan for what I would like to accomplish, for what I want to get done, for what I would like to accomplish. And, obviously given the needs and demands of the work, on any given day, that plan is defeated by what comes up and what must be address.

There is a predictability in how predictable this cycle is.

Therefore, when something that cannot be anticipated (or, in some cases, readily explained) happens, there is a break in the routine, in the predictable, in the structure.

And that, I have found, has been very refreshing. Often, it has even been fun.

I am grateful that no two days have been alike in this first half year at Mullen. I am grateful that truth can be stranger than fiction. I am grateful that I cannot see everything coming.

Teach & Serve IV, No. 18

Intent vs. Impact, What Happens Next?

December 5, 2018

When impacts do not match up to intent, good leaders act again. Good leaders are aware that what they say does not always “land” how they intend it to land.

If you are reading this blog you are likely an educational professional, a leader in a school. Every adult in a school is a leader one way or another. And, if you are in a school, you work in a complex system that is influenced by the desires, moods, emotions and wants of – literally – hundreds of people on any given day. Students influence the system as do parents and administrators and teachers. Likely, as an educational leader, you have been in the position of addressing a particular audience or you have had an interaction with a singular person. In that interaction you either had time to prepare your comments or you did not; you were either ready for the conversation or you were caught flatfooted by it. Whatever the particular case, you said something or did something and that action had results.

Let us bracket, for the purposes of this post, all of the situations that came out well – likely the majority of such situations. These are times when the impact of our words or actions matches our intent. Instead, let us consider the ones that did not go well. These are the times when our intents and impacts do not line up.

Whether we have had time to prepare or not, what we say has impact. How we act towards others has impact. How we conduct ourselves as leaders has impact.

When impacts do not match up to intent, good leaders act again. Good leaders are aware that what they say does not always “land” how they intend it to land. They reflect on contacts with others. They approach this reflection knowing that not everything goes the way they hope it does.

And they share those conclusions. Good leaders are able to analyze difficult situations – those created by their own impacts on others – and follow up on them with further information, with deeper clarification and with honest communication.

Good leaders recognize that the impacts they have in whatever they say and do (and Tweet and post) can be unintended and disconnected from their intent. And they recognize, if they wish to maintain rapport and trust and faith, that they must own these situations when they occur.

Good leaders realize when negative impacts are their fault. Then, knowing they created the situations in the first place, they work to fix them.

Teach & Serve IV, No. 17

Pride

November 28, 2018

… leaders who wish to remain connected and close to their faculties, staffs and students should be careful.

We know pride goeth before the fall.

Pride.

In order to be effective, leaders must have a healthy amount of pride and they must have a relatively substantial amount of ego to go along with it. One does not become a leader without a fairly robust opinion of oneself. There are many slings and arrows with which one inevitably contends in leadership and possessing a well developed and centered view of self provides armor to deflect and shield oneself from them.

However, leaders who wish to remain connected and close to their faculties, staffs and students should be careful.

We know pride goeth before the fall.

There are many psychological challenges good leaders face. There are many ways the very act of leadership can play tricks on good leaders. Excellent leaders tend to produce excellent results. They often have their staffs and schools operating at high levels. They typically enjoy success in their work and initiatives. They are congratulated. They are praised.

Each of these things can lead to a burgeoning pride.

And that is fine. Pride, kept in appropriate context and measure, is necessary for good leadership.

An overabundance of pride is not.

Effective leaders who wish to remain so must strike a balance in terms of pride. Too little pride can lead to weak leadership. Too much pride can lead to overbearing leadership.

Pride in ones leadership is good. It is important. It should also be monitored appropriately.

It is my intention to share some reflections on the highs, the lows, the excitement, the routine, the successes, the failures and everything in between which I experience the course of the next 10 – 12 months, my first months as a full-time principal of a high school. Writing this journal will help me grow. Reading it may make you laugh…

22 | November | 2018 – THANKSGIVING

As today marks Thanksgiving, I wanted to set aside a moment’s reflection on the many things for which I am thankful and the many people to which I am grateful during these first months of my first year:

to the committee of almost 20 people interviewed me last winter and passed my name on with the president of the school …

to the president offered me the principalship …

to my former employer who enabled me to start working at Mullen High School in the spring as I simultaneously wrapped up my position …

to the members of the administrative team who offered their support right away, who helped me learn culture, who advised me …

to the faculty that was incredibly welcoming, that helped me adjust and adjusted to me, who pitched in where asked, who did more than was simply their job, who gave and continue to give their all to our students …

to people on the faculty and staff who have spent time in consultation and prayer with me …

to members of the student body who dropped by my office to say hello these last months …

to the parents who opened their hearts, shared their stories and their students, voiced their praise and concern …

to the people from whom I have asked advice, time-and-again …

to the interim president who mentors me to this day …

to the writers of the anonymous letters I have received (you know who you are) – this is not a sarcastic thank you, I am very grateful …

to the fact that my imagination is worse than any scenario I have encountered, but I am thankful to imagine the nth degree of things so that we can avoid it …

to the people who have openly disagreed with me or shared their concerns with me (and to those considering doing so, please, please, please do!) …

to my mother and sisters who listen to my stories (“only the names have been changed…”) …

to my children who offer their unique insights on this work …

to my wife – the smartest, bravest, best person I know whose tireless support, wise advice and abiding love I do not deserve.

I am so very grateful for all of the above that words hardly do my feelings justice. I am enjoying Thanksgiving Break. I will enjoy getting back to work!

Teach & Serve IV, No. 16

Praise You Like I Should

November 21, 2018

School leaders should be looking for people to praise, identifying opportunities to share their gratitude, searching out those who have done their schools, their staffs and their students service. School leaders should take time to say “thank you” and they should do so many, many times a day.

Tomorrow, the United States celebrates Thanksgiving which is one of my favorite days of the year. I love the food for sure. There is nothing like a mean double decker pumpkin pie. I love the fall leaves on the ground, the smells wafting from the kitchen, the gathering of family and friends around the table.

I love all the trappings of Thanksgiving.

But I most especially love the idea of it. I love the concept of setting a day aside each year to give thanks.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Meister Eckhart who is credited with saying: “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”

I believe this is true for anyone in any walk of life, but I believe it is especially true – and it should be – for school leaders.

School leaders should be looking for people to praise, identifying opportunities to share their gratitude, searching out those who have done their schools, their staffs and their students service. School leaders should take time to say “thank you” and they should do so many, many times a day.

A written note is a great gesture. A comment of thanks in public at a meeting is a good thing to offer. Pulling someone aside to praise their work can affect that person’s attitude. An email of thanks goes a long way to make someone know – not feel, know – she or he is appreciated.

In my experience, leaders who recognize the opportunities to thank those with whom and for whom they work are leaders who understand that to lead is to serve and these are the types of leaders for whom I wish to work.

This Thanksgiving, as we express our gratefulness for our blessings of family and food and friends, we should also express our gratefulness for our students, their families, our coworkers.